


Eternal Winter

by merin_b



Category: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: F/M, Family, Friendship/Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-17
Updated: 2015-05-19
Packaged: 2018-03-31 00:37:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3957877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merin_b/pseuds/merin_b
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When a possible future heir to the throne of Skyrim becomes part of a corruptional power play, she has no choice than to turn to specific underground businesses, in order to save herself and her family. [Brynjolf x OC]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"My lady, are you alright?"

Currently, the definition of 'alright' seemed to be non-existant in her world; no, she was far from 'alright'. Infact, the opposite of whatever that would be. The echo of her unsteady heartbeat was pumping through her ears, while her mouth seemed to be running dry. A few specks of blood on her cloak proved that the event that'd happened not long ago had actually been real, and not some kind of marvelous dream. In her 25 living, breathing years, she'd never experienced such a horrendous, terrifying thing. But, she was still alive, which she rather considered good luck than ' _fate_ '. No, it was all about the place and time, and as it happened, she'd disappeared in the bushes with her handmaiden to splash some fresh water in her face of the lake nearby, while her party was being slaughtered by tremendous mad men.

To say this had just been a simple ambush by common bandits sounded rather naive, and stupid; she'd brought along a party of experienced guards to make sure her journey to Skyrim would be secured in complete safety. Ellandra had obviously misjudged this part of Tamriel; the sweet innocent sunset of Cyrodiil was still captured in her mind.

What a fool she'd been, to think Skyrim would be like an eternal winter version of her own home.

There was no such place like Cyrodiil. Perhaps she would come to accept that fact over time.

"Lady Ella.." a familiar voice gasped behind her. Ellandra snapped around and looked at her handmaiden. A female Altmer, only a few years older than her, who'd been with her ever since she'd come to Cyrodiil to become a _Lady-in-waiting_. She'd been so terrified back then, only about 5 or 6 years old and already being passed around like an object. As an attempt to comfort her and keep her emotions under control during that specific time, they'd brought in Angen to keep her mood occupied. It'd been a useful distraction, and over the years the relationship between the two had blossomed into a valuable friendship. Incidentally, the only one she had, and was allowed to have.

Life in Cyrodiil hadn't been easy. It was like being captured into a luxurious prison. There were strict orders to the regards of her being outside in public, and she only thing she truly desired, was having a home. 

_Home_. Cyrodiil was her home. Not that cage where she grew up in. She wasn't sure what was the difference between those two. Perhaps she would find that out later.

Ellandra narrowed her eyes and took in Angen's form. Her friend was kneeling down and going through one of the saddle bags of the now dead horses. "Your papers.." Angen managed to sigh with a desperate undertone.

Her _papers_?

"What about my papers, Angen?" Ella wondered, eyebrows slightly raised in confusion. Angen turned around slowly and made eyecontact with Ellandra.

"They.. appear to be.. _missing_."

" _Missing_? What in the gods.. Are you trying to imply that they have been stolen?!"  _Mara, it cannot be_. That idea in general seemed ridiculous, considering nobody could possibly know who Ellandra was; it wasn't supposed to be a sercret on purpose, though the people back in Cyrodiil made sure to keep her occupation and status as quietly and unspoken as possible. The very idea of Ellandra being a political target was unsettling for the residents back there, and Ellandra herself did not want to be part in any mind games.

_But it seems you've become a starring role in one now._

"I.. I do not know for certain, my lady. I will check the other bags."

Angen's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. Ellandra made eyecontact with her for a brief moment, only giving a reassuring nod to accept her on that offer. Even though they both knew it was hopeless.

Instead, to keep herself distracted, she focused on her guards. Well, her previous guards. There had been 25 of them, though there were only 20 bodies on the ground in front of her. Ella forced herself to shuffle forward to inspect their surroundings, but not before removing a steel dagger from one of the guards' body. She felt disgraced and disgusted by doing so, and she wished she could grant every single one of them with a honorable funeral as they deserved. But, there was no time. She didnt want to risk Angen's life as well as she already had with her guard party. The thought of their women and children having to wait for their return made her want to cry, though she bit her lower lip in dreadful agony until she tasted iron. Ella welcomed the physical numbing pain, even though it was nothing compared to her current mental scarring.

Moving forward, she had no idea where to look; Ellandra was in no way skilled in the arts of tracking, let alone survival itself. She could see a blood trail however, and she decided to follow it. Perhaps it was stupid not to inform Angen, but she wanted to feel useful, instead of having to be watched like a youngster; the fact that these men had died risking their lives to insure her safety was already making her feel guilty and sick enough as it was.

Ella continued to follow the thin, red line on the ground, as her stomach started to turn in protest. The woman didn't know what to expect; perhaps the bandits were still hiding in the bushes somewhere, waiting for the Lady to appear. Perhaps they knew she'd go looking for the rest of her guards.

_Why not, if they already knew where to find my identification papers, surely they know I'm that stupid._

It wasn't as if she was truly stupid. She was educated in the art of speech, common decensy, cooking, playing flute and lute, familiar with the _law_ and _politics_.. But none of that mattered now. Her singing wasn't going to get her and Angen anywhere. If she'd only had been taught how to use a weapon.. Instead, she only knew how to work a bow a little bit--and she was terrible at it. And if only she had been paying more attention in her medical class, perhaps she would have been able to save someone, if she'd only gotten back from the river on time.

Ellandra pushed the distracting and self-loathing thoughts away. Instead, she forced herself to concentrate and follow the blood trail beneath her. She immediately became nervous at the thought of a possible confrontation between her and the ambushers.

But, she’d taught herself to be selfless over the years.

She was going to find the other bodies of the guards, no matter what. Their kin deserved that closure. If she would make it through today and tonight, she would send a sealed envelope back to Cyrodiil, to confirm the death of her party, and request for extra reinforcements.

_Reinforcements_. She had no idea what was going on. This was just coincidence, right? It simply had to be. There was no other explanation as to why someone could know the presence of Ella in this cold, harsh region. Perhaps she should hire some merchants who could accompany her back home.

But, without papers, she was no one. In Cyrodiil they would have records, but the original documents were of sentimental value to her; the papers that were signed by her parents, whom she’d never got to meet again after being brought to Cyrodiil.

Once the blood trail ended, she reached a small outer lake of the river. 5 bodies, and several other corpses whom she didn’t recognize from her own guard party. They seemed to be wearing bandit armor, though it was hard to tell with the pile of blood they were in.

Ella moved forward, step by step. Her gut told her to turn around, but she blamed that on the blood; she wasn’t used to seeing this kind of horror. If not for the necessity of finding out the truth, she would’ve broke down crying at the current sight and situation. But, she forced back the nausea and focused on the task.

She kneeled down next to one of the familiar corpse, whose eyes were still opened ajar. It was Earl, one of the kindest guards in the party. It felt strange, looking at his now lifeless form, while she was used to his jokes and smiles that were often being tossed her way.

Biting her lower lip, she brushed away his golden locks. She looked down and found out he’d passed because of a sword in his belly. A yelp escaped her lips as she looked away from the horrifying sight.

Suddenly, a hand grasped her wrist tightly. She looked up, seeing Earl’s eyes opened in shock and frenzy. For a single heartbeat, she feared for her life. What if he failed to see the difference between a friend and an enemy? _What if he was too far gone already?_

When they made eyecontact, his expression softened a bit. The hard emotion in his eyes seemed to falter. “Lady.. Ella..” he gulped for air as he whispered her name. His voice sounded hoarse. Ella reached for her leather canteen and helped Earl sit up straight a bit, until she was certain he wouldn’t choke in the water. He groaned at the movements of his dying body; Ella tried her best to ignore the heartbreaking noise.

As soon as he’d gulped some water down, Ella helped him lay down again. Earl grabbed one of Ella’s hands and still managed to smile throughout the torture of his wounding. “Tell.. Tell Ynna I’m sorry.” _His wife_. Ella nodded. “Of course.” She managed to reply with a weak undertone. Earl closed his eyes. “Don’t feel guilty..” he said, his voice barely in a whisper. “Not you who did this... _Fucking high elves_..”

Ella was confused. _The ambushers had been high elves?_


	2. Chapter 2

A cold gust of the wind made her cloak twirl around her slender form.

An annoyed sigh escaped her lips as she attempted to keep it down with her hands, that were protected from the bitter cold by soft gloves. Only a few days, and she yet had to get used to the cold environment of this new region. They had been travelling for two days, and Ella had missed the beautiful calming sunrise of Cyrodiil this morning, only to be welcomed by the sight of a blank mocking sun that shone cruelly between the icy trees. Angen had made them a simple stew for breakfast, made of whatever she could find that was left in their bags, and they'd walked to a small village to buy new horses. 

 

During the ride, Angen had tried to get Ellandra to talk about the disaster that'd occured a few nights ago, but Ellandra wasn't falling for her tricks; she still felt too guilty, too torn to possibly open up about the fragile subject. The fact that they hadn't been given the chance to properly bury the men added even more guilt to the pile. Ella was wondering how long it would take for her to break down, but she would grind her teeth in self-hatred at those thoughts, and urge herself to keep going. She didn't want to allow the defeat.

 

As soon as they'd reached Solitude, they paid the farm nearby to temporarily stable their horses until further notice. By the time they reached the _Winking Skeever_ , Ella's backside hurted from the everlasting ride in the saddle. Not to mention, she was frozen to the bone, and footsore form the previous long walks. 

 

Ella plopped down on the chair near the fire with a noisy groan, feeling the cramps everywhere, and didn't bother to look at her surroundings. Angen was much more suited to survive in these circumstances for some reason, and not once had she complained about the long and dreadful journey. "I shall get us some warm drinks and food. And I will order a room for the night. Would you like a private room?" 

 

"No." Ella said immediately, with an obvious protesting tone that betrayed her fear for the unknown. "I do not wish to be left alone. I want you to stay with me. Get us a double room." she added quickly, to make it seem like she was less dependent than she appeared to be. 

 

Angen simply nodded. "Very well, my lady."

 

Before she could walk away, Ella spoke again. "Oh and Angen?" 

 

"Yes, my lady?" 

 

Ella met her eyes with her own before speaking. "No mention of who I am. Not that they would believe you if you did. If they ask, we are simply adventurers passing through with a Caravan." 

 

Angen nodded once again before turning around and heading over to the bar. She heard the muffled voice of her friend behind her.  

 

She felt guilty, knowing Elisif was still mourning over the loss of Torygg. 

Mara, that was bloody reason for her to come to Skyrim in the first place; to be there for Elisif in these hard times. Although Elisif couldn't possibly remember what she looked like; the last time they met was before Ella's departure to Cyrodiil, years ago. 

 

Her thoughts were interrupted by Angen's return. After putting down two plates with dinner, she turned around to get their drinks. A few seconds passed before she returned once again, sitting down on the chair opposite of Ella's. They were seperated by the now filled table between them. Their dinner consisted out of a small bowl filled with venison stew, a few baked potatoes and a small baked bread. Ella didn't recognize the warm substance in her mug, although from the smell she assumed it was some kind of herbal tea. 

 

Slowly but surely, she started to chew on a piece of bread, while allowing the warm damp of her stew to warm her cold cheeks. Her stomach growled once it received the piece of the bread and Ella felt grateful for finally being indoors, where it was warm. 

 

While they were having dinner, an uneasy silence hovered over their table. Angen seemed lost in thought and Ella was too busy digging through her own. It didn't take the women long to finish their supper, since they both had been hungry long before arriving to the capital city of Skyrim. 

 

Ella shoved her empty plate in front of her, and cupped her mug in both her hands. She finished her drink after some time and cleared her throat. "I am going to speak with the owner. It should not take long." she announced, avoiding Angen's glance as she quietly stood up. She didn't bother to wait for Angen's approval, and was already heading towards the bar.

 

A few men and a woman were chattering about daily topics and Ellandra overheard some of them talking about Torygg's dead. They were quietly sharing their point of view on the matter, some of them mentioning a guy named ' _Ulfric_ ' as they spoke. Ella didn't dare to interrupt the conversastion, nor did she want to; she simply kept their distance away from the group, trying her best not to make it obvious that she was eavesdropping.

 

"Corpulus, had any trouble yet with _Ulfric-ass-kissers_ in here?" asked one, his question supposedly aimed at the man behind the bar named Corpulus who was busy cleaning a glass. 

 

"Not yet, no. But word has it they are going to march up from _Windhelm_." 

 

"It'll be fucking chaos in the streets, I'm telling you. Fucking Stormcloaks are nothing but guaranteed trouble."

 

  
_Stormcloaks_.. she tasted the name on her tongue, and it was pure bitter. And yet, she had no idea what they were talking about; she had been too busy with politics in Cyrodiil itself, but not the other provinces of Tamriel. If only she knew what they were talking about, she wouldn't have to be so sneaky.

 

Ella coughed loudly, to make her presence known. A few eyes darted towards her; some curious, some bothered by the sudden interruption. Ella tried to smile her way through the people as she sat down exactly opposite of where Corpulus was standing. "Can I help you, lady?" he asked with a friendly nod as he put down one of the glasses behind him. Ellandra looked around to see if anyone was listening to their conversation. To her satisfaction, everyone had turned their attention elsewhere, and a bard was performing a song about some dragonborn. 

 

Corpulus raised his eyebrows, awaiting her explanation.

 

" _Actually_ , yes. I have this problem, you see. A bad thing happened a few days ago. My caravan was ambushed by bandits."

 

He frowned. Ella motioned for him to come closer, and she herself stood halfway up the chair so noone could possibly hear. The voice of her aunt back in her head was urging her not to behave so unladylike, but she refused to listen; she needed answers.

 

"I was wondering, is there a special.. _you know_.. cooperation for thievery? Or are the thieves here simply independent buggers? It is urgent that I gain the right information, because they have stolen some very important, irreplaceble documents from us." 

 

The story sounded convincing enough, she had to give herself that. 

The man across of her nodded. He then frowned deeply, giving off the impression he was lost in thought for a minute. Ella simply waited, while her heart was desperately aching for the right clues, that would eventually point her to the right answer.

 

" _Well_.. there are lots of independent thieves these days. Outlaws, and all that." he said, tapping with his fingers on the hardwooden bar.

 

"I doubt they'd be interested in these important files you spoke of, however.  You might wanna have a chat with Galuj-Lei. I know he's been up to some shady business, but I don't really care for it." he finally added with closure. As soon as he'd given her the information, she couldn't help but smile in gratitude. "This is even more than I could hope for. Thank you, truly." said Ella with a sincere tone. Before she could walk away though, he reached for her wrist and touched it softly. "Be careful, lady. I'm almost certain he's involved with this shady bunch in _Riften_. If that's true, trust me when I tell you they're no nice folk. Might wanna get some protection." Corpulus said, with a serious expression on his face. 

 

Ella swallowed the spontaneous lump down her throat. She nodded, not wanting to come off as weak. Perhaps he was right. _Maybe I need to hire some mercenaries just in case._  


 

Ella bid her thanks once more before walking towards the direction of the Argonian named Galuj-Lei that Corpulus had spoken of.

 

The impression she had of the stranger was hard to place; he seemed comfortably, perhaps nice even, but she couldn't tell for sure unless he'd seen him interact with another. She figured she was the ' _other_ ' she was thinking of, and thus sat down opposite of him. 

 

The Argonian was surprised, but not startled. Ella raised her eyebrow in confusion, since she'd been trying her best not to stand out in the crowd. 

"What can I do for you?" he wondered politely, with a certain curiousity behind his words. He now appeared to rather be someone of business, which she honestly welcomed with open arms since she didn't feel the need of having to justify or explain herself. "I am looking for someone. Well, rather _something_." Ella started, trying her best to hide her nervousity.

 

"You see, my _caravan_ -" 

"Let's cut to the chase, shall we? What's missing, and how much would you be willing to pay for me to retrieve it?" Galuj-Lei asked with a somehow unsettling smile. Ella felt a shiver down her spine. "An important document. The problem is, nothing else was stolen of my caravan- _no money, no attire, no other items._ Just the document. And it is of great essence that it is returned to me right away." she explained, lowering her voice so only the Argonian could hear.

 

Galuj-Lei nodded. " _I see, I see_. Then sorry, friend. There's nothing I can do." 

He stood up and was heading towards the exit of the inn.

 

" _Wait_!" Ella yelled, standing up and following him towards the door. A few other people turned around with an annoyed expression, but as soon as they realized it'd been her, they returned to their own conversations. 

 

Ella looked down for a brief moment and lowered her voice. "There must be something you can do for me?" 

 

A few seconds passed by in silence and Galuj-Lei rolled his eyes at her stubborness. He than gave a thoughtful impression and mumbled something under his breath. 

 

" _Alright_." he said decided. "Speak to Brynjolf in Riften. He might know something about this."

 


End file.
